At the gym where I train, one of the first things you’ll probably notice is the other gym members performing their workouts, some sweating, breathing heavily, others chatting with friends, and some working at an effort level in between. When it comes to effort level during workouts, many people are unsure of how hard they should be pushing themselves. It is also a topic debated among trainers, as some believe you should always give 100% while others think you should leave some gas in the tank. I’m going to discuss how hard you should be working and what I think will give you the best results in the long run.
How hard you should workout can be very different depending on your fitness goal, level of fitness, and what kind of exercise you are doing. For many people who are exercising for general health and fairly new to exercise, it’s widely accepted that you don’t have to do very much or put in a huge amount of effort. Depending on what kind of exercise you’re doing, you might just want to end up breathing slightly heavy or feel your muscles working. Ultimately after your workout is done, you feel good and a bit more energized, leaving you with lots of energy to progress your workouts at a comfortable slow pace. There is the old saying “no pain, no gain.” I think a better one liner would be “no discomfort, no gain.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t rhyme so it probably won’t catch on.
For some people, exercise changes from a general health goal to a specific personal goal or to something more competitive, either within their own social circles or organized sports. These fitness connoisseurs are pushing the limits of their athletic ability past what allows them to simply perform the tasks of daily life. At this level, you’ll need to put more effort into your workouts, usually somewhere between 60-100% of your perceived effort level. Dr. Mike Israetel (PHD Sport Physiology) says “You need to workout hard enough to make gains, but not so hard it hinders your next workout.” Many people have one gear and it’s 100%. I think that can be a bad idea most of the time, because as we inch closer to our 100%, it becomes more fatiguing and the risk of injury increases. Occasionally, I’ll give it my all but I often train within the 60-80% range because while fatiguing, I still get nearly as much progression as going 100% but, I have less fatigue, I need less recovery time, and it leaves me with energy to perform other things I enjoy.
Once you reach the top of the fitness pyramid, it’s more of a career. These people are putting in tremendous attention and effort during their workouts and extending that effort into their daily lives with recovery and diet protocols. As Dr. Stefi Cohen (25X World Record Holding Powerlifter) says, “you don’t achieve greatness from casual effort.” That is the effort these individuals will need to put in because performing acts of fitness is how they make a living. Fortunately, almost none of us will have to, want to, or be able to, push to this level.
How hard you should train can be tough to wrap your mind around, especially if you’re not much of a fitness buff. When it’s all said and done, though, if you’re not a professional athlete, it doesn’t matter too much. As long as you’re seeing the progress you want and enjoying your fitness routine, you’re doing great!